Celebrating my triumphant return to the blog with a Religious Holiday that represents the start of a "new year" for pagans and also celebrates the lives of those who have passed on. Halloween as a religious Holiday is a joke to most as the real purpose of the Holiday has been mocked through the years and has now become a corporate fueled holiday, much like Christmas. For me as a new pagan, and as one who is leaning more towards the practices of herbal-ism and mediation, my Samhain (SAH-win) focuses on reflection and renewal. But here's some stuff you probably didn't know; All Hallows Eve, Saints Day, and Halloween are Christian names. Most of today's Halloween practices are christian ones. Pumpkin carvings to ward off spirits and dressing up in scary masks was the christian way of "protecting" themselves from the Celtic practices that they believed were bringing evil unto the world. Dia De Los Muertos is closest to the TRUE S...